All Wars Have Consequences
by gandalf537
Summary: All wars have consequences, and the Avengers' Civil War is no exception. Ross has taken hostage several of the Avengers' close family members, and others have been forced to flee, sparking riots and inciting a conflict that slowly everyone is dragged into. Loyalties will be tested and questioned, and the Avengers will all have to choose which side they're really on...SEQUEL NOW UP!
1. Pt I

**I don't know where this came from, but ever since Civil War came out I've been wondering what they did to try and find Team Cap, and it's entirely possible that Tony could have let some key information about Clint slip to Ross...anyways, these chapters are a little shorter, and I have no clue how long this'll be. Also, sorry for being inactive for so long.**

 **Disclaimer: I still do not own the MCU.**

Pt I

"You're kidding me, right?"

Laura Barton knew that, since her husband was an Avenger, that other Avengers would be showing up on her doorstep sometimes. But since what the media dubbed their "civil war," she certainly wasn't expecting any visitors.

And she certainly wasn't expecting Tony Stark to be standing on her front porch, hands raised in surrender.

"Look, Laura," he begins, but she cuts him off with a snarl.

"It's Mrs. Barton to you, sorry. What are you doing here?" She raises her voice slightly, so as to alert Natasha something was off. Nat, who is practically her sister after hiding in her house for months, will know to take the kids to safety.

"I'm here about Clint," Tony sighs. Laura freezes. His tone suggests bad news.

"Where is he?" Laura asks. "Is he okay?" Her hand clutches the doorknob to steady herself.

"You'll be happy to hear I have no idea," Tony says. "That's why I came here. We need to do a thorough search of the premises. See if they're hiding out here. Also, to pass on a message to Natasha that she needs to come out of hiding." He yells now. "We know she's here!"

"I hope you know if she were really trying to hide, you'd never find her," Laura says coolly. "I also hope you know that there is no way in _hell_ you or anyone else is searching my home."

"Mrs. Barton, that kind of talking doesn't exactly discourage us from searching your house," Tony says just as politely. "We will enter by force if necessary."

Laura peeks past him towards the dirt path outside. Several black vans, probably full of agents and whoever Secretary Ross cooked up, are parked but running, ready to speed away at a moment's notice.

"Go away," she says simply.

Tony sighs. "I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this," he says. He turns back to the vans. Before she can slam the door, Laura sees one of the vans slide open. Two agents hop out, but she also spies a screaming little girl, probably around Lila's age. She recognizes the girl as Cassie Lang.

Tony wasn't here to search the premises. He was here to take them for ransom.

Laura slams the door and locks it, but she knows this won't prolong Ross and Tony. God, she had to stop using his first name.

"Nat!" she screams, running around the lower floor and locking all the doors and windows. "Get to the safe spot!" Underneath Clint and Laura's bed was a trapdoor that led to stairs. The stairs led down to an underground pathway. This pathway led to the barn, where they'd be able to take a hidden car to a designated safe spot.

"What about you?" Nat screams back from down the stairs, accompanied by screams from Nathaniel.

Laura gritted her teeth. There was no way she could leave Cassie Lang and whoever else was in that car.

"I'll be fine!" she yells back, grabbing a handgun kept behind the toaster. "Just get to safety! Clint will know where to find you!"

She heard grumbling and banging.

"Stay safe, kids," she can't help herself from calling out.

"We will, Mommy!" Lila yells through the walls.

"I'll protect Auntie Nat and the little ones!" Cooper reassures her, and she laughs.

"I'll see you later," she promises. She can't help from thinking this is a promise she won't be able to keep.


	2. Pt II

**WOW there's been an amazing response to this! I was NOT expecting this big of a response, especially in only one day! Anyways, be sure to review, they keep my creative juices flowing, and thank you so much to the reviewers/followers/favoriters! A small note: I'm just making this up as I go along, and I tried to edit as best I could, but if you see any mistakes or things you think I got wrong, be sure to criticize, it helps as much as the usual encouragement!**

Pt II

Natasha couldn't believe it. From what she could tell, Tony Stark showed up at the Bartons' doorstep demanding to search the house, but from Laura's panicked tone it was something much more. So she snatched up Nathaniel and grabbed Lila's hand, telling them in harsh whispers to move, move, move, crawl under the bed and push away the boxes, open the door that swings down, climb down. She hands the baby to Cooper and climbs down, replacing the stuff and closing the door, hearing it lock with a satisfying click.

"Go, go, go," she whispers to Cooper and Lila ahead of her, taking the baby back and rocking him to hush his cries. She knows there are plenty of provisions in the van in the barn that include a pacifier. But they need to get there first.

"Is Mommy gonna be okay?" Lila asks, tugging on Nat's hand as they reach the bottom of the stairs.

"She'll be fine," Nat says. "But hurry. And be quiet."

They quickly move along the passageway, dimly lit by a few flashlights strategically placed along. The walls, ceiling, and floor are all dirt, all having been carefully sculpted. Every few feet are spare rafter beams making sure the roof doesn't collapse. Suddenly, four gunshots go off, quickly. Lila screams, and Nat instinctively covers her and Cooper's mouths. The two children clutch Nat's legs.

"It's okay," Nat says. "Lila, climb on my back." Lila climbs on Nat's back piggyback style and wraps her arms around Nat's neck. "Cooper," Nat says to the boy. "Try to keep up." She takes off down the hall, not even breaking a sweat, Cooper close behind her.

They reach the end of the passageway, a rusted ladder. Nat puts Lila down and hands Nathaniel to Cooper.

"I'll tell you when the coast is clear. If it isn't, go back to the house. You know all the good hiding spots, anyways," she tells them. Lila and Cooper nod.

"Goo," says Nathaniel.

Nat gives a small smile and climbs up the ladder. She opens the trapdoor. No one. Just to be clear, she gives the barn a once-over, then double and triple checks every nook and cranny.

"You're good," she hisses down the trapdoor. Lila emerges a second later, and Nat takes Nathaniel from Cooper.

"Into the car, into the car," Nat whispers, ushering the kids into a large, unassuming grey van. The license plates have covers over them, and Nat knows with the press of a button inside the vehicle the covers will slide off. The back of the van is already full of provisions, food, supplies, baby things and toys to keep the kids busy, anything they might need. Nat straps Nathaniel into the baby seat and Lila climbs into the middle seat, followed by Cooper. Nat makes sure they're buckled in safely and climbs into the driver's seat. She takes a pair of sunglasses out of the holder and slips them on. Then, gun in one hand, steering wheel in the other, she starts the engine.

The van bursts the doors to the barn open. Several startles shouts are heard as Nat guns it, straight towards the black vans holding agents.

"AUNTIE NAT WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Lila and Cooper scream in unison, setting off Nathaniel.

"Trust me," Nat says, gritting her teeth. She presses her foot down on the pedal, still aiming straight for the black vans. As they get closer, Nat can see several recruits struggling to contain Laura. She stifles a grin - _that's my girl_.

"Mommy!" Lila says. "What's she doing?"

"Shit," Nat mutters, seeing them pointing towards the van and raising their guns. She swerves at the last second and breezes past them, going eighty miles an hour.

"Are we leaving Mom behind?" Cooper whispers.

"Don't worry," Nat says. "We'll come back for her."

Lila sucks in a breath, then lets it out. Nat watches in the rearview mirror proudly. She taught them that trick. Lila comforts the still-crying Nathaniel, and Cooper gets some things for them to do out of the back. That was one of the many things Nat loved about the Barton kids, they were so used to the Avengers' messed-up nonsense that they had just had to flee their home and leave their mother behind, and were yet mostly cool with it, at least on the outside.

Now she'll just have to get to the safe location without turning back, and somehow get word to Clint that they're there. All while keeping sane trapped in a car with three children. Oh, boy. This is going to be _fun_.

After several hours of driving, they've finally made it out of the middle of nowhere. Nat presses a button, and panels slide away to reveal the license plate. Another button changes the color of the car. Yes, the Bartons have prepared for everything.

"Auntie Nat?"  
Natasha is aroused from her driving zone-out by a small voice. She glances back quickly, not trusting her still-expert driving skills while she was so exhausted. Plus, it's a freeway on a Saturday night. There are going to be plenty of drunk drivers around.

"What is it, sweetheart?" she asks Lila, who is rubbing her eyes.

"There's a bunch of cars following us," Lila says sleepily, then leans her head on her brother's shoulder. Within seconds, her breathing steadies and she falls asleep.

Nat curses under her breath and glances in the side mirrors. The little girl is right. Several familiar-looking black vans are following them. There's no way they could have recognized the car, which meant they're following them on a whim. She's going to have to find somewhere to park, near a motel, spend the night. They'll be approaching the nearest city to the Barton farm soon. Yes, it will be plenty easy to lose themselves in the crowded city.

Nat swerves into the lane for the exit, following several other cars. To her immense relief, about half of the government vans that were trailing them break off as well, but the rest stay on track. This means that they couldn't know it was her and the Barton children in this car, they were just searching.

Nat drives through the city, looking for a cheap hotel. She isn't sure how much money is in the car, and she certainly doesn't want to spend it all. She checks the clock for the first times in hours and is surprised to find it's already eleven PM. No wonder the kids are asleep.

Eventually, using the GPS function on the van, she finds an okay hotel for the night. Unfortunately, she'll have to find somewhere else to park a few blocks down, meaning she'll have to wake up all three kids and maneuver the streets, avoiding any 'drunken loonies', as Clint would call them. As she found a spot on the street and parked the car, she prayed Laura would be alright, until they could find the other Avengers for help.


	3. Pt III

**A small note- Shuri Udaku is T'Challa's sister in the comics, and is said to have her own thing as the Black Panther, so I added her for lack of hostages for Steve, Bucky, and Wanda.**

Pt III

Laura doesn't think she's ever been so miserable in her entire life. Well, that wasn't true. She was this miserable when Clint was away and she hadn't heard from him for days, especially before she had the kids to distract her. But now it's just her in her cell - and the sleeping little girl next to her, streaks from tears cut through the grime in her face. And the young Wakandan girl in the cell across from her, and the older African-American couple in the cell next to her, all being held hostage in hopes the missing Avengers will turn themselves in. Ross almost went so far as to 'pretend' Vision was being held hostage, to try and be further persuasive to Wanda, but thankfully that was where Stark drew the line. And no one would ever believe Vision was being held captive, he's too powerful. So instead, here she was with Cassie Lang, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, and Shuri Udaku, sister of T'Challa. How they managed to get Shuri in is beyond Laura - from what she's heard so far from the girl, she's as badass as her brother. They probably threatened the safety of other Wakandans, but either way, Shuri was being kept in a much higher-security cell than Laura or the Wilsons. As far as the Wilsons were concerned, they only wanted their son to be safe, and the others as well.

"You're all much more important than us," Mrs. Wilson had insisted. "We want the little one to be safe, and you to get back to your children."

"Sam can handle himself," Mr. Wilson had said gruffly. "He doesn't need to worry about us."  
Ross has left with promises to bring cameras tomorrow. Laura isn't going to play nice.

But now, it seems they have another visitor. Tony Stark enters the room, cast on one arm.

"How is the arm fairing?" Mr. Wilson asks, slightly amused.

"Not well," Stark admits. "I should have known your son would teach his parents to fight back."  
"Sam didn't teach us," Mrs. Wilson says politely. "We're both just old, retired war veterans."

Stark nods and moves on to Shuri.

"Do not show your face here again, or I may be forced to break out just to punch your teeth in," Shuri tells him.

"I'm going to ignore you," Stark says. "Maybe put a word into Ross."

"Your simple-minded politicians do not scare me," Shuri says, then turns her back to Stark. He moves on to Laura and Cassie. Cassie shrinks back, pressing her face into Laura's stomach in terror.

"I'm sorry, little one," Stark says, crouching down. "I really didn't mean to scare you."  
"You kidnapped her while she was eating dinner and are holding her hostage in a cell meant for prisoners," Laura says pointedly. "If you weren't trying to scare her, she would be at home with her parents."

"Yes, unlike your children," Stark retorts. "I'm afraid you're not going to see them very soon- we have no clue where they are, and you aren't getting out of here, even if your husband turns himself in."  
"And why is that?" Laura asks, not phased in the slightest.

"Oh, I don't know," Stark says sarcastically. "Maybe it was the seven agents you knocked out, or the four that are still in the hospital, or the six we had to give a vacation while they recover."

Laura flashes a toothy grin. "Whatever it takes to make sure my children aren't _kidnapped and held hostage by an idiot who made his fortune killing people_."

"You really did all that?" Cassie asks, glancing at Laura.

"Yes, sweetie," Laura says in a soothing tone. "And your daddy will do all that and worse once he finds out you're here."

"Yeah!" Cassie exclaims. "My daddy will save us!"

"I wouldn't count on that," Stark says.  
"Stay here, okay?" Laura says, indicating the cot they were sitting on in the back of the cell. Cassie nods and curls up in a ball, muttering things about Ant-Man and Wasp and Hank Pym. Laura stalks towards Stark and presses her hands up against the wall.

"You better watch your back," she says. "Because there's a good chance I'll break it."

Stark simply smirks and walks away.

Laura turns back and takes another inventory of their surroundings. Her cell contains two cots, two blankets, two pillows, a bolted-down table and two bolted-down chairs, as well as a small television built into the wall and a window too high for them to reach. From what Shuri could tell, it was made of indestructible glass. Just wait until it met the hiding Avengers. The Wilsons' cell was exactly the same, as was Shuri's except with only one of everything.

"We are lucky to be alive," Shuri says quietly. "From what my brother has told me, Ross would rather have had us killed. Guilty by association."  
"But then he would've had no leverage," Mr. Wilson points out. "No, what he really wants is revenge on James Barnes. By holding us, here come Sam, Scott, Clint, and King T'Challa. Where they go, Steve Rogers will go, and where Captain Rogers goes, so will the Soldier. Stark isn't going to let us go until he has Barnes, and my guess is he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants, including finding the rest of Mrs. Barton's family."

Laura nods. "I was thinking the same thing," she says. "And I was also thinking."

She glances around and lowers her voice. "We don't want to give them the privilege of breaking us out." The others look at her, confused. "I think we should do that ourselves."

 **Did anyone catch the 'you better watch your back, there's a good chance I'll break it'? Clint said the same thing in Civil War...anyways, see y'all later, and your reviews keep me cranking!**


	4. Pt IV

**This chapter is kind of just a transition to the next big plot thing...so, enjoy!**

Pt IV

"Come on, Lila," Nat says, taking the just- in- case overnight bags from the trunk. She quickly slams it. "We only have a few blocks to walk and then you can go back to sleep."

"Okay, Auntie Nat," Lila says, rubbing her eyes to keep them open. Nat hands Cooper and Lila each their bags, and sling hers and Nathaniel's over her shoulder. Yes, for some reason Nat had a bag in the Bartons' get away car. She's learned it's best not to ask.

"Take your brother's hand," Nat instructs Lila, who listens. Cooper latches himself to Nat's sleeve. Nat takes Nathaniel out of his carseat and triple locks the car.

"Let's go," Nat says. "Hurry." She wasn't happy with the fact that they'd have to walk past a nightclub to get to their hotel. _Stupid city parking_.

"How far is it?" Cooper asks.

"Three blocks," Nat responds. "Not far at all."

The three start walking, Nathaniel still asleep in Nat's arms. They make it the first block okay. Then Lila, half-asleep, drags Nat towards the 'place with the pretty lights', AKA the nightclub Nat had so badly wanted to avoid.

"No, no," Nat chastises her gently. "That's for grown-ups."

"Come on, Lila," Cooper says. Lila happily listens to her brother and skips down the road, right past a few men passing a bottle. They eye Nat over and glance at the kids.

"Hey, gorgeous," one man, obviously the drunkest of the lot, slurs. "Whaddya say ya ditch tha kids and come 'ave a drink wi' us?"

"No, thanks," Nat says, smiling. But her speak venom. "I'm good."

"Ya sure?" the man asks, stumbling over. Nat wants to punch this man into next week, but she also doesn't want to attract attention. "Ya can leave tha kids in tha alley or somfin'!" He attempts to wrestle Cooper away, who promptly stomps on his foot. Then he switches back to Nat. "Come on!" He reaches a hand for her face-

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," Lila mumbles as Nat hands Nathaniel quickly to Cooper. Nat whirls around and socks the man square in the jaw. If she wanted, she could have put enough force into the punch to kill, but she's trying to stay off the radar. Which is why, after a few good kicks to a less-nice place, she snatches Nathaniel back and stalks away as quickly as possible.

They check quickly into the hotel and find their room. Nat unfolds a small Pack-n-Play for Nathaniel and lays him down. Lila and Cooper climb into one bed and are asleep almost immediately. Nat racks her brain to try and remember what the meeting place was- there are so many. Which was the one in case someone was taken hostage? Right. Washington, D.C.. But where? She'll know it if she sees it, that's for sure. But D.C. is a big place. If she could contact Clint somehow…

Nah. She'll worry about it in the morning. Nat knows firsthand that if you don't get enough sleep while on a mission, bad things happen. And right now her mission is getting these kids to safety.

Yes. She'll worry about it in the morning. But she'll sleep with one eye open.

* * *

"Auntie Nat?"  
Nat jerks out of bed, gun at the ready, safety off, and then sinks back into the pillows when she realizes it's just Cooper.

"What is it?" she mumbles.

"Mommy's on the television," the boy responds. Nat jerks up yet again. Nathaniel is gurgling happily in the Pack-n-Play and Lila is watching the television attentively.

"This is a message for Steve Rogers, James Barnes, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff, Scott Lang, and King T'Challa of Wakanda." A sinister voiceover, the voice of Secretary Ross, is added to the image of Laura, with a black eye and a young girl on her lap, as well as a young Wakandan girl and an older African-American couple.

The voice continues. "To the fugitives: you have exactly one week to turn yourselves in to the United Nations. If you have failed to do so after one week, one of the people you see before you will be killed." The screen switches to Secretary Ross. "To King T'Challa: we know you are hiding the criminal Avengers. If you turn them in to us, we will release your sister and the rest of these people. To the rest of the country: Natasha Romanoff, also known as Natalia Romanova and Natalie Rushman, is currently a wanted criminal for failing to comply with government procedures. She is thought to be traveling with three children; Cooper Barton, Lila Barton, and Nathaniel Barton. Any information leading up to her arrest and/or location will be rewarded." With that, the television clicks back to it's normally scheduled cartoons. Nat takes a deep breath.

"Come on, kids," she announces. "We're going to find your father."

"Daddy!" Lila says excitedly.

"Where are we going?" Cooper asks as he starts to pack up his stuff. Nat glances at the clock- 9:48.

"Washington, D.C.," she responds. "We'll meet up with the other Avengers there. Clint will know we're coming."

"And then we can rescue Mommy?" Lila says.

"Yes, Lila," Nat says, smiling kindly. "Then we can rescue your mother."


	5. Pt V

**To all my fellow Americans out there: HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY *fireworks* Here's the next chapter, hope y'all enjoy. As usual, reviews are appreciated and keep me going!**

Pt V

The television clicks off. Clint Barton buries his head in his hands and groans. Sam Wilson paces nervously behind him. Scott Lang is sitting in a corner spitting every foul word imaginable along with fifty thousand death threats for Tony Stark, Ross, and anyone else who took part in kidnapping his daughter. Wanda Maximoff was attempting to comfort Clint, and Steve Rogers watched them all, contemplating what to do.

What Steve was most concerned about was King T'Challa. Ross threatened the king. The Avengers were already told to wait in Steve's small apartment until further notice.

"How the hell do they know we're here?" Wanda exclaims suddenly, speaking aloud one of the things on all of their minds.

"I don't know," Steve says.

"Do you think T'Challa will turn us in?" Clint asks, head still in his hands.

"I don't know," Steve admits.

"Do we wake the Soldier?" Sam asks quietly.

Steve sighs. "That I definitely don't know."

A knock on the door startles them all. Clint glances up, Sam stops pacing, and Scott cuts off the curse words.

Steve opens the door. One of T'Challa's spokespeople stands in front of them.

"King T'Challa has decided not to turn you in," the man says timidly. The entire room lets out a breath of relief. "He would like you there when he sends a counter-message," the man continues. "In five minutes. Make yourselves presentable, half of Wakanda will be there." The spokesman walks away and Steve closes the door.

"We're going to get them out, right?" Wanda asks.

"Hell yeah we are," Scott says.

"What about Natasha?" Sam puts in.

"Washington, D.C.," Clint says suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Steve asks.

"That's the meet-up. We have different locations for different situations. She'll be with the kids in D.C.," he says.

"Alright," Steve says. "We'll go to D.C. and work it out there. On a more important note: do we wake Bucky?"

"He'd be useful," Scott says.  
"But would he want to be waken for this? Otherwise we would be able to justify waking him up for every mission," Sam says.

"If it gets out of hand, we will," Wanda says, unconsciously rubbing the scars on her neck. "But I think we should handle it ourselves."

Steve nods. _That decides it, then._ The few selfish thoughts running through his mind about speaking to Bucky again were immediately quenched.

The five head out of Steve's apartment a short time later down the the balcony where T'Challa addresses the public. When they arrive, the king is already set up in front of several large cameras.

"Thank you for doing this," Steve says quietly to him as the others sit in the five chairs out of the way of the cameras.

"Do not worry about it," T'Challa says. "I see in your eyes I will not have to worry about you for long."

"We're heading back to the States as soon as possible," Clint says. T'Challa nods.

"Ross and Stark know better than to engage, and I am just going to clarify. If they kill my sister or any of your relatives, they will pay the price," he says. Steve takes a seat and T'Challa turns to the cameras.

"My people," he begins, his voice immediately captivating the audience. "We have received a threat from Ross of the United States. I am sure the rest of their government does not condone with hostages, as well as the United Nations. But hear this: if any harm comes to my sister or any of the people you have taken hostage, you will face the wrath of all of Wakanda and our allies. You have been warned." The blinking red lights on the side of the cameras fade out as the people cheer.

"We'd better be going," Steve says to T'Challa.

"You will be finding your own transportation?" T'Challa asks. "I have an ambassador meeting with Central America today about trades. I am sure you can stow away with him."

"Thank you," Steve says, the rest of the small group nodding their thanks.

"It has been my pleasure," T'Challa responds.

* * *

One hours later, the private jet leaves South Africa. Six hours after that, it lands in Panama. Four more hours later, the truck Steve's group is hidden in crosses the border into the United States, and they still haven't been caught. Another seven hours and they're wandering around D.C. through dark alleyways while Clint tries to remember where the meeting spot is.

"I know it's around here somewhere," he mutters.

"We're going in circles, Clint," Wanda says. "This is the third time we've passed this store." She peers at the peeling gold letters. "Exotic Pets; Spiders, Birds, and Everything Else. What a strange name, even for a store that's out of business…"

"That's it!" Clint hisses suddenly. "This is the place. Spiders for Nat, birds for me."

"How creative," Scott says sarcastically. Clint tries the door, but of course it's locked. However, there are sounds of scrambling and voices from inside.

"Someone's in there," Clint mouths. Steve holds up the giant suitcase with all of their new weapons in it questionably. Clint shakes his head, reaches up on a ledge and finds a key, and opens the door.


	6. Pt VI

**This chapter is a little shorter, but the next one will make up for it. Thank you so much for the reviews, they keep me writing!**

Pt VI

"You can't be serious," Tony says, shaking his head slightly. "You just broadcasted that to the _entire world_. Everyone just heard that you were going to start killing innocent hostages." It had been nearly a day after the broadcast when the Avengers, all three of them, were allowed to speak with Ross.

"Exactly!" Ross says, snapping his fingers at Tony. "That way the fugitives will have even more pressure on them to turn themselves in!"

"Man, come on," Tony says. "They're gonna see you as a madman. And I'm starting to think that way too. You're even more obsessed with finding them than I am, and that's saying something!"

"Yes, but whose idea was it to take the hostages?" Ross counters.

"Yours!" Tony says indignantly. "You just got me in on it with promises I could deal with Barnes!"

Ross scowls, and realization forms in his eyes. "I really did come across as a madman, didn't I?"

Tony nods skeptically. Behind him, Vision and Rhodey previously sat watching the argument play out with wide eyes. Now Vision clears his throat and leaves, muttering something about fresh air, and Rhodey claps Tony on the back. "You may want to do something about that," he advises Ross. Then he leaves as well, though going much slower than Vision with the help of his robotic legs. Tony casts a final glare at Ross and leaves as well. As he does, he hears Ross giving orders.

"Double security. Round-the-clock perimeter guards. We can't have a rescue mission. And I want the Vision on duty at all times."

Tony shakes his head. Rhodey turns to him. "You feeling guilty yet?"

"Immensely," Tony responds. "Two of them are kids, one _has_ three kids, and two are elderly-ish. And one of them is going to die."  
"What," Rhodey snorts, "you think they're not gonna be gone by tomorrow?"

"Ross is doubling security," Tony responds as they turn into his office.

"So warn them," Rhodey responds. Tony sighs as Rhodey turns around and walks back out of the office. He closes the door behind him.

Tony stares at the bottom drawer of his desk. He tries flipping a coin. He flips several coins. Rolls a few dice. Stares some more. Finally, he makes up his mind and decides not to turn back. Open the drawer, push back the files, find the box, take out the phone. Dial the one number already programmed into the phone.

"Hey, this is Steve. Leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible." Voicemail. A shout from the background. "God bless America!"

Tony. He had done that. And Steve had kept it…

"Hey, buddy," Tony started, then cleared his throat. He probably shouldn't be calling Steve 'buddy'. "Um, just wanted to warn you. Ross is doubling security. Um, bye." He quickly hangs up, stuffs the phone back in the box, and re-hides it under tons of files. Then, changing his mind, he takes the phone back out and slips it into his front coat pocket. Just in case Steve called back.


	7. Pt VII

Pt VII

"Who's there?" Clint yells. "I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it!"  
"Clint?" a hoarse voice calls back. "Clint Barton? Don't shoot!"

"Who's there?" Clint repeats.

"I-it's me, Bruce," the voice replies. "Please don't shoot."  
"I don't actually have a gun," Clint admits sheepishly. "But Bruce, as in Bruce Banner?"

"Y-yeah." A man emerges from behind the counter of the old store. His black hair is slightly tangled and a layer of grime covers his face. Stubble peaks out around his cheeks and his voice indicates he hasn't spoken in a while.

"It's good, guys," Clint calls to the door. The other four rush in and close the door quickly.

"Bruce?" Steve asks, gaping.

"Hey," he says quietly. Then his eyes narrow. "A civil war, guys? Come on."

The draws out a laugh from the group as they rush to catch up with Bruce. After five minutes of Bruce telling them where he'd been ('Fiji is really nice this time of year') it was obvious he wanted to discuss what was currently going on.

"Have you had any contact from Natasha?" he asks first, directing this at Clint.

"None," Clint responds. "But I know she's with my kids. She wouldn't leave them behind."

Bruce and Clint, as they know her best, discuss where she possibly might be. Steve, Scott, Wanda, and Sam start unpacking. Steve opens his small bag of personal possessions and is slightly surprised when he sees his cell phone. He thought he had lost it. He quickly turned it on. It wasn't like he was expecting any calls or texts. Anyone he would need to contact besides T'Challa was in the room with him.

 _One message_.

"Steve," Sam said, seeing what Steve was holding. "I don't think you're going to have- oh. Shit."

The message was from Tony.

Steve's finger hovered over the delete button- but then pressed play instead. He held the phone up to his ear.  
"Hey, buddy," A throat being cleared. "Um, just wanted to warn you. Ross is doubling security. Um, bye."

It was kind of nice to hear Tony's voice after so long. He sounded… stressed. But then again, when weren't they stressed?

"What was that?" Wanda asks.

"Tony," Steve answers, loud enough for everyone to hear. "He said Ross is doubling security."

"Doesn't matter he helped us," Scott announces. "I'm still flattening him."  
"Doubling?" Clint asks in disbelief. "Well, we're screwed."  
"Do we even know what building they're being kept in?" Wanda asks.

"Stark Tower, in New York," Bruce answers. "I recognized the room."  
"Great," Steve says. "So we have to get from D.C. to New York."  
"This'll be fun," Sam says sarcastically.

Clint sighs. "We have to wait for Nat, anyways." He glances outside. "The sun is rising. We should close the shades." He goes to the nearest window and pulls the blinds shut, adjusting them so no one can see in from any angle. They do the same to the rest of the windows, then go throughout the small store to make sure no one can see or get in.

So help them, not five minutes after they lock up there's a knock on the door. Clint peers through the blinds.

"Shit, guys, it's an officer," he says, stumbling away from the window. "I didn't see what kind, I only saw the badge." This quiets any questions as they look around.

"Open up! I want to buy a bird!" the officer outside calls. It's a female, the voice sounding familiar but not recognizable.

"We're closed!" Bruce calls. Five glaring eyes meet his. He shrugs.

"I demand you open this door!" the officer shouts, then they hear her sigh. "Look, guys, I know you're open. Just open the damn door." Her voice no longer sounds authoritative, just exasperated.

Steve goes to the blinds and peers through. Then he grins. "Sharon!" he says, throwing the door open. Sharon shushes him. Sam smirks. Clint chuckles. Even Scott and Wanda look slightly pleased. Bruce just looks confused.

"Who's Sharon?" he whispers to Clint, who just shakes his head. Bruce's question is answered when Steve and Sharon share a sweet kiss.

"Oh," he mutters. "Cap's been busy while I was gone." Scott chuckles.  
"What are you doing here?" Steve asks, trying to sound sweet but glancing over his shoulder for more agents as he locks the door again behind them.

"A spotted spider had three kids," she says, pointing at an audio recorder clipped to her shirt. "A bit away from here. Thought the owners of this store might find it interesting."

They took this message to mean 'Natasha and the Barton kids were spotted and Clint might like to know'.

"Well, thank you," Steve says. "We'll let you know if we find the spiders."

Sharon nods, glances around, kisses Steve one last time on the cheek, and leaves. Steve locks the door again behind her.

"They're close," Clint says. "Oh, God. We need to start making plans. I need to rescue my wife."

"And my daughter," Scott adds.  
"And my parents," Sam says.

"And T'Challa's sister," Wanda points out.

"We need to rescue the hostages," Steve says. "And fast. How long do we have?"  
"Roughly five days," Bruce says. "I don't think I'll be much use. The only role for me I can think of is babysitter, and I don't trust myself around kids."

"I trust you with my kids," Clint says. "But we can leave someone here just in case."  
Bruce nods.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Steve asks, turning back towards a more pressing matter. "Tony said they were doubling security."  
"I don't trust him," Sam says immediately.

"Definitely not," Wanda says, rubbing the scars on her neck again.

Clint glances at Steve. "Not after the Raft," he says, echoing everyone's thoughts.

"We have to, guys," Steve says. "And hey, even if they aren't, better safe than sorry."  
"What's that?" Scott asks, pointing towards the ground. A small piece of paper is wedged between two floorboards.

"A file," Wanda says, picking it up. She opens it. "Sharon must have dropped it. It has all the Stark Tower security updates."  
"How can Ross even authorize security updates at a tower that belongs to Tony?" Sam wonders. "Doesn't make sense."  
"Probably some Accords bullshit," Clint says.

"Let's see," Steve says, giving the file a once-over. "It looks to me like all the security is being replaced. Cameras everywhere. Vision on guard twenty-four/seven."

"I can handle the cameras," Wanda says. "And Vis," she adds as an afterthought.

"Great," Steve says. Then, "You sure?"  
"Oh, yeah," Clint hoots. "She whipped his ass last time. That's my adopted daughter, right here! Beat the most powerful guy in the world!"

Wanda rolls her eyes. "I told you-"

"Come on, the kids met you, they love you! You're like-"

"-their big sister," Scott interrupts. "You've only told her, like, a million times."  
"And that's only in front of us," Sam adds.

"Guys," Steve says. "Focus, please."  
"Right," Clint says. "Focus." He glances at Bruce.

"Nat would be furious if we made plans without her," Bruce says, obviously echoing Clint's thoughts.

Steve sighs. "Then I guess we'll wait for Nat."

 **A small note: thanks so much to the reviewer (I can't remember who) suggested Bruce coming back. And no, I don't ship Staron, but I'm trying to make it sort-of close to the MCU, at least with pairings (so, yes, expect some Brutasha. Sorry). And as usual, review, follow, favorite if you want, and thanks for reading!**


	8. Pt VIII

Pt VIII

As it were, Nat was waiting for them.

In the wrong spot.

She found this out as a landlord kicked her out of the apartment complex cellar at three in the morning. The complex was on the edge of Washington, D.C., and Nat was obviously in the wrong spot.

So she packed up the car and the kids and set out again.

"Kids," she calls to the back as she drives in the dead of night. Lila is still wide-eyed, Cooper looks slightly scared, and Nathaniel is screaming, all because of a yelling landlord. Nat could've torn his esophagus out, but she showed restraint in front of the children. "Do you have any idea what this place might be called? I know it's definitely a store...or maybe a housing type place…"  
"Would it have something to do with birds?" Lila says quietly. "'Cause

Daddy is Hawkeye?"  
"Goo," Nathaniel says as he quiets down.

"Or spiders," Cooper says. "Because you're Black Widow?"

"Ba!" Nathaniel says.

"Or both!" Lila cries.

"Yeah…" Nat says, an image popping into her mind. "Exotic Pets. Spiders, Birds, and Everything Else."

"What's that?" Lila asks.

"Wha da?" Nathaniel giggles. Cooper has fallen asleep.

"That's where we're going," Nat says, grinning. "Wake Cooper back up."  
Lila shakes her brother awake. He jumps up, startled, then smiles when he sees Nat's face. "Did you remember?" he asks.

"Yup!" Lila says. "A pet store! I'm gonna meet the doggies and the kitties and the-"  
"It's not an actual pet store, Lila," Nat says gently.

"Aw," she says, her face falling. Nat smiles and continues driving.

At around five in the morning, the car arrives at Exotic Pets: Spiders, Birds, and Everything Else. The shades are drawn and, when Nat tries the door, it's locked.

"Okay, kids," she says, getting back into the car. She drives it into the alley next to the building and gets all the kids out. "Come on."

Nat leads them to the back door. Not bothering to look for a key, she borrows a pin from Lila's hair and picks the lock. The door swings open and she quickly ushers the kids inside.

"Who's there?" a thickly accented voice calls. "I'm armed! Make yourselves known!"

Nat breaks out into a smile. So do Cooper and Lila. A young woman comes into the light.

"Wanda!" Lila cries, running forward to hug her. Cooper and Nat, carrying Nathaniel, follow.

Wanda smiles when she sees them and lowers her hands to hug the children. Then she hugs Nat.

"Good to see you," Nat whispers into the younger woman's ear.

"Clint and Bruce will be so happy," Wanda whispers back.

"Bruce?" Nat asks, pulling away. Wanda just smiles, and Nat notices the scars on her neck.

"Oh, my God," she says. "What happened?"  
"The Raft," Wanda says, shrugging as if it didn't matter. But it does matter. Ross will pay.

"Daddy?" Lila calls.

"Dad?" Cooper echoes.

"This way," Wanda says, leading them through the store to a staircase. They take the staircase up to the small apartment above the store. Clint, Steve, Sam, Scott, and _Bruce_ are sitting around a kitchen table, discussing plans.

"Daddy!" Cooper and Lila shout at the same time. Clint looks up in surprise and breaks out with the biggest grin any of them have ever seen him make.

"My buddies!" he says, enveloping them into a hug. Once he's gotten his fill, he turns to Nat and hugs her, too, being careful not to crush Nathaniel.

"Thank you so much," he says. "I'm so glad you're safe."  
"Me, too," Nat says, handing him his son. She greets the other fugitive Avengers carefully, not sure if they trust her or not after she sided with Stark. But they all seem warm enough as they greet her and tell her how glad they are she escaped. Except for Bruce, who hangs back, looking sheepish.

"Excuse me for a moment," she says kindly to them. Without a word, she snatches Bruce's hand and drags him into the next hallway, out of view of the others.

"How- could- you- leave- us- like- that-" With each word, she punches him in the chest.

"Nat," Bruce says pleadingly.

"We- thought- you- were- as- good- as- dead-"  
"Nat," Bruce says again.  
"Why?" she asks with one last punch. "Why?"  
Bruce sighs. "I needed some time away," he answers.

Nat glares at him.

"Good to see you?" he tries, and with one last punch she stalks back into the kitchen.

"Guess I'm not getting a kiss hello, then," Bruce mumbles, following her.

Scott and Sam hold back laughter as they hear every punch Nat gives Bruce. When they're rejoined, they make an effort not to laugh, which proves difficult.

"Alright, everyone," Steve says. "We have our base plan."  
"Hang on," Nat says. "You made a plan without me?"

"I told them you'd be mad!" Bruce says.

"Yup," Clint says.

"Sorry," Steve says. "You were taking too long."  
"Alright," Nat says, frowning. "Go on."

"Bruce stays here with the kids," Steve continues. "Wanda distracts Vision and handles the security cameras and/or guards."

"You're sure you can take on all of them?" Sam asks Wanda.

"Positive," Wanda says quietly.

"We break them out," Steve says, gesturing to himself, Sam, Scott, Clint, and Nat.

"That's all you've got?" Nat asks. "We break them out? No, like, actual plan?"

"I'll fly in with Tic Tac," Sam says. "Drop him down from above. He can get in and disable the systems."  
"You have your suit back?" Nat asks Scott in disbelief.

"King T'Challa got it back for us," Steve says, not bothering to specify how. "Which is probably why his sister is being held hostage, too." Nat nods. "He also made us new weapons."  
"Vibranium bow!" Clint calls from the couch where he's catching up with his kids while half-listening.

"New wings and shield?" Nat asks. Steve and Sam nod.

"Alright," she says. "Sam drops Tic Tac in."  
"Hey!" Scott protests.

"Tic Tac gets us in."

"Yup," Sam says. "I can help with handling security and fly people out if I need to."  
"Great," Nat says.

"Now we need a backup plan," Steve announces.

"Do you really think this will work?" Wanda pipes up. "I mean, usually we start with a plan and then all hell breaks loose."  
"She's right," Bruce says.

"I think we'll just have to stick with this and if it doesn't work, mess some shit up," Scott says. "I mean, the entire world saw that broadcast. He'd have a mutiny on his hands if he actually killed one of them." They all know the _he_ Scott is referring to is Ross.

"How are we getting to New York?" Sam asks.

"We have a van," Nat offers. "We can unload all the provisions. I'm sure all of us going would fit."  
"Great," Steve says. He and Nat grin at each other.

"Fugitive Avengers," Steve says loudly.

"Assemble," Scott says. "Yeah, yeah, we're all sitting in the same room two feet away from you. Let's just go get my daughter back. Oh, and the other guys, too."

Nat rolls her eyes. "This is going to be like a giant road trip, isn't it?"

 **Hey guys! Thanks for reading! A note to my followers (almost fifty-AGH THANK YOU SO MUCH!) I'll be on vacation for a few days, so there probably won't be another update until next Monday, at the earliest. As always, leave a review or follow and favorite if you liked it, and thank you so much for reading!**


	9. Pt IX

**Hello everyone! I'm back! So this chapter ends in a bit of cliffhanger (my sincerest apologies), but the next chapter will be good and equally as cliffhanger-y! Yay!**

 **Anyways, some responses to reviews:**

 **BallroomGlitz (Guest): Thanks so much for the well wishes, and thank you even more for reading!**

 **Black' Victor Cachat: I think it was both, and Ross's reaction will be in the next chapter.**

 **Also thanks to MaxBookWorm, DarylDixon'sLover, Leafdragon117, and Jesuslovesmarina for reading and reviewing!**

 **Please forgive me if my street knowledge on New York City isn't correct as I have never been there. I have only ever seen New York in movies and pictures.**

 **Thanks so much, read and review, and most of all, enjoy!**

Pt IX

"That's the last of it," Steve says, dropping a large bag full of food onto the table. "We left two bags in the car for us."

"There'll be plenty of room," Nat says. "I'll drive, Clint called shotgun, Steve, Sam, and Scott will take out the car seats and sit in the middle, and Wanda will sit in the back by all the stuff. Sound good to everyone?"

Everyone nods. Since Nat came up with the seating arrangement, no one wants to argue.

"Bye, kids," Clint says, giving last hugs.

"But we just found you," Lila complains. "You can't leave again."

"Don't worry," Clint says, ruffling Cooper's hair. "I'll be back soon, and with Mommy."

Nat, surprisingly, gives Bruce a hug goodbye, and everyone heads out of the store. The morning rush is just starting to begin, so they'll be able to blend in with the traffic. They clamber into the vehicle in the correct seats and head out.

"Avengers road trip!" Scott calls, pumping his fists in the air. Clint and Steve, who are sitting near the windows facing the store, wave goodbye to Bruce and the Barton kids. Even though they can't see them, they know they're probably watching from one of the upstairs window.

Natasha blasts the radio as loud as possible without destroying their eardrums. Clint makes a move to change the song, and she swats his hand.

"Driver chooses the music," she says, never taking her eyes off the road.

"But it's my car!" Clint protests weakly.

"Driver. Chooses. The music," Nat repeats, gritting her teeth and turning the volume up louder. Nat and Clint continue arguing over the radio. Sam and Scott start a discussion about what would happen if they had to fight each other again, Steve interjecting occasionally. It wouldn't be so bad, Wanda thinks, if the music was quieter. Every time Clint says something Nat doesn't like, she turns the radio louder, until it's at full volume. And every time Nat turns the radio louder, Sam, Scott, and Steve talk louder. And louder. And louder. Wanda sits with her fingers stuffed in her ears for two hours, _two hours_ , until Scott decides he wants to take a nap and forces Nat to turn the radio off. Sam and Steve talk quietly about Bucky, Nat and Clint focusing on the road.

Half an hour later, Scott wakes up, Nat turns the radio back on (but only at half volume, thankfully), and Clint, Scott, and Sam start a discussion on whether they'd be able to beat Tony Stark without his suit on or not. Steve jumps in around the point when they add Rhodey and Peter Parker to the mix. Nat pulls headphones out of somewhere. Wanda stuffs her fingers in her ears again and decides to start keeping track of the trip in her mind. _11:00. Nat turns the music up louder. The men talk louder. Why? Why? Can't you just all shut up?_

 _11:30. The music is full volume again. The men are practically shouting. Please, Nat. Do something. I'm begging you._

 _11:37. The talk turns to who's the best. The answer is simple. Me._

 _11:40. Steve drops out of the conversation, causing the others to talk louder due to losing one voice. One voice gone means_ quieter _, not louder._

 _11:45. The radio is still full volume. The men are almost screaming in order to be heard. It is very, very loud. And I mean, very loud._

 _12:00. I'm sick of this. All this male-dominance talk. It's just for their egos. I hope they all know I can destroy all of them. Either way, it's time for me to do something._

 _12:02. Clint, Scott, and Sam have their mouths shut until I see fit. Steve is laughing his head off. Nat has turned the radio down._

"We'll be arriving in New York City in exactly twenty-three minutes," Nat announces. Sam has resigned himself to staring out the window, so Wanda allows him to speak again. Scott claws at his mouth uselessly. Clint makes 'mrmph' sounds every few minutes. Steve has calmed down enough to snap a few pictures.

"You will learn to be quiet," Wanda snaps as she releases Clint and Scott ten minutes later. "Or I will make you," she mutters under her breath. She's been living with them for months, and is very much starting to get sick of their talking.

"You go, girl," Nat mutters.

"Um, guys?" Steve says suddenly. "We all know this is Stark Tower, right?"  
"Yeah," Clint says, "Why?"

"Well, we can't just, you know, walk up to it," Steve says. "It's kind of in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the U.S.."

"He has a point," Nat says. "I guess we didn't think of that." She glances back at Wanda and smirks.

"Wait…" Scott says, looking back and forth between the two women. "What do you guys know that we don't?"

"We're going to drive in circles around the tower a few times and Wanda will stick all the security cameras on repeat. Then she'll tackle any guards that come our way and Vision, if needed. Meanwhile, once the cameras are good and stuck, Sam will sneak Scott in and the plan will continue.

"Oh," Steve says. "Well, that sounds good, then."

"Are we all ready?" Nat asks. "We're approaching Stark Tower now."

"Great," Sam says. "Wings, please," he orders Wanda. She passes his wings up, along with Scott's suit.

"Can you get the suit on quickly?" Nat asks as they circle around the huge, looming tower once, Wanda concentrating fiercely.

"Give me ten seconds," Scott says, fumbling with the zippers. Sam slips a hoodie on over his wings. Nine seconds in, Scott jams the helmet on and goes small, climbing onto Sam's shoulder. Sam lower his goggles.

"Let's do this, Tic Tac," he says and they make their second pass around the tower. Nat pulls over on the opposite sidewalk of the tower and drops Sam off.

They make two more passes around the tower before Wanda declares all the security systems down.

"They're all stuck on repeat," she explains to Steve and Clint. "That way whoever is monitoring them won't know anything is wrong until we're walking out."

"Excellent," Clint says as Nat stops the car again, right near the inconspicuous dark skinned man in a blue hoodie leaning against the side of a building.

Sam takes a few steps forward on the sidewalk. His wings erupt out of the hoodie. Tearing the rest of it off, the Falcon takes off and swoops over Stark Towers. The group in the car can barely make out a small shape dropping from above.  
"Guys," Steve says, grinning. "We're in."


	10. Pt X

**WARNING: SCARLET VISION FEELS IN THIS CHAPTER! Main AN at the end.**

Pt X

Meanwhile in Stark Tower, everything is absolute chaos.

"How the hell is he here?" Ross spits out, furious. "FRIDAY, shoot him out of the sky!"

"I'm sorry, Secretary Ross, but you do not have permission to access the weapons systems," FRIDAY says coldly.

"Shoot him out of the sky," Tony orders, much calmer than Ross.

"Weapons systems disabled, sir," FRIDAY responds. "There seems to be a bug in my system. I can't access any security."

"Maximoff," Ross growls.

"Send out Vision," Tony says as he leaves the room, stalking down the hall to his office.

"But sir, the last time he got into a fight with Miss- with Maximoff, it did not end well," FRIDAY advises.  
"Screw last time! Send out Vision!"

"I thought because of your phone call to Captain Rogers, you may have had a change of heart," FRIDAY says, and Tony can practically hear her frowning.

"Just do it!" Tony says.

"Shall I alert Secretary Ross to your plans?" FRIDAY asks, though she already knows the answer.

"No! Do _not_ tell Ross!" Tony snaps.

"Very well, sir," FRIDAY says.

Some floors away, Vision jerks up when he hears a throat being cleared. He looks around wildly, realizes it's FRIDAY, and slumps back down.

"The Tower is being attacked," FRIDAY tells Vision.

"By who?" Vision asks, his 'fingers crossed,' as Peter would say.

"As far as we can tell, Mister- ahem, Wilson and Maximoff," FRIDAY says.

Vision sighs. He knew this would be coming eventually. "Would Mister Stark like me to intervene?"  
"Yes," FRIDAY says. "As quickly as possible, please. And-"

"Say no more," Vision says. "I know what to do."  
"Good luck," FRIDAY merely says.

Vision stands up and phases through the walls, outside to the bright and sunny New York afternoon. He looks around, scanning, trying to find who he's looking for. He reaches out his consciousness, and connects with another, the one he is looking for, for a fraction of a second before he is forcefully pushed away.

Despite his current situation, he almost smiles.

Meanwhile, Wanda is very much not smiling.

"It's Vision," she says.

"What?" Steve asks. "Where?"

"The other side of the building," Wanda says. "Drive. Blend in with traffic. I'll distract him."

"You guys," Clint says as Falcon swoops over them. "We need to go, that's the signal."  
Right on cue, the front doors, normally locked, burst open, their security overridden.

"Let's go!" Steve says. "Wanda, keep Vision away!"  
"So much for secrecy," Nat grumbles and the four climb out of the car. The doors slide shut behind Steve and Wanda, and Clint locks the doors. Nat casts him a sideways glance.

"What?" he shrugs. "It's my car."

Nat claps a hand on Wanda's shoulder, squeezes, and whispers, "Remember the plan."

"I will," Wanda responds.

"The secret plan," Nat clarifies. "Do what you have to do to get him in. Try to time it right."  
Wanda simply nods, and Natasha nods back.

Steve, Clint, and Nat run through the open doors. Wanda runs around to the other side of the building to find the one she's looking for.

As it turns out, he meets her halfway. Not wanting to give him the pleasure of moving down to meet her, Wanda propels herself up.  
"Miss Maximoff," Vision greets her politely. "Your flying has gotten better. You are much steadier."

"Nothing like being kept in a straightjacket to keep yourself steady," Wanda says sarcastically.

"I am picking up traces of sarcasm in your voice," Vision says, uncertain as to whether she meant it to be that way or not.

"Why?" is all Wanda asks.  
Vision sighs. He knew this would be the first thing she would ask.  
"What do you mean, 'why'?" he says, though he knows the answer already.

"Why are you still here? Is it because of Stark? Is Ross keeping you here?" Wanda says more clearly.

"Secretary Ross was toying with the idea of pretending to keep me hostage as well," Vision says, glancing around. He doesn't know if he's on camera. "To get to you."  
"To get to me…" Wanda says.

"I probably shouldn't be saying this, since we're on opposite sides," Vision says carefully. "But, out of curiosity, would it have gotten to you?"  
"No," Wanda says immediately. She elaborates, seeing the crestfallen look on Vision's face. "Because you're better than that. I know you enough to know you would not sink that low."  
Vision nods, understanding.

"If they were more powerful than you, then yes, it would get to me," Wanda says.

"Wanda…" Vision says, reaching out. The two of them have unknowingly drifted closer, and they're almost close enough to touch.

"No," Wanda says, propelling herself backwards and stumbling. "No. Don't. We're on opposite sides."  
"Wanda…" Vision says, clearly sounding pained.

"I'm sorry, Vis," Wanda says.

Vision suddenly looks fearful. "Wanda, no, not again-"

Wanda almost laughs. "Not that, Vis. Quite the opposite." She drifts closer.

"What are you-"

Wanda drops, down, she know she can catch herself at any moment, but this was the secret plan she and Natasha came up with. Vision, instinctively, dives after her as she plummets to the ground.

Wanda, realizing his reaction time was slightly slower than she anticipated, braces herself for the impact of hitting a shield of magic. Vision, not knowing this, speeds up, as fast as he can, and his toes skim the sidewalk as he catches Wanda and flies back up. He lands carefully, unknowingly stopped directly next to the parked car.

"Are you alright?" Vision asks, the caring friend he's always been.

"Yes," Wanda says, gulping. Vision is confused to see tears sparkling in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Vision," she says. She waves her hands, her crimson magic trailing off her fingertips, encasing the Vision.

"What- are- you doing-" he grunts as Wanda stands up, lifting him into the air.

"I'm so sorry," she repeats. "But...Nat thought reverse psychology would work."  
"You're-" Vision says, glancing around, his mouth and eyes the only remaining parts of him freely able to move.

"We're taking you hostage," Wanda says quietly, as she flicks the car door unlocked and open with one hand and moves Vision into the car with the other.

Vision takes a deep breath. He has two choices: fight Wanda and probably be beaten again, or go with her willingly.

In a single second, he makes a choice. He'll see how this will play out...besides, it might do well to see who's side he's really on.

 **Hope y'all enjoyed! What did you think of this chapter? Was it any good? As always, thanks for reading! Next chapter we'll see what happened inside Stark Tower... MUA HA HA HA HA!**


	11. Pt XI

**Hello everyone, sorry it's taken so long for me to update! Ballroom Glitz: thank you so much for reviewing and reading, glad you liked it! Also, sorry, this chapter is a little rushed. But enjoy nevertheless!**

Pt XI

"Remember the plan," Nat hisses to Wanda, and they rush into Stark Tower.

"What plan?" Clint asks.

Nat clears her throat. "She's- um- I thought-"

Nat never stammers. Never.

"Nat," Clint starts. "What did you do?"  
"I thought reverse psychology might work," she says.

Steve catches on right away. "She's gonna kidnap Vision?" he cries.

"Keep running," Nat orders. "Take the stairs. And yes."  
"Well, at least we know she can handle him," Clint shrugs.

"Here," Steve says, and they burst out of another door.

"How is it we haven't encountered anyone yet?" Sam asks, running up behind them, wings folded. "I just made it from the roof without anyone seeing me."  
"I doubt they know we're down here yet," Scott says, enlarging in front of them. "All busy watching Wanda and Vision face off. They're this way, I heard two guys talking about it. Bet they get fired."

"Curious," Nat says as they approach a door. Locked. "Anyone have a card we could use?"

Steve raises his shield and slams the lock twice. The door opens.

Nat shrugs. "That works."

Scott, Sam, and Clint shove to the front of the group, looking around. The cells on one side of the long, narrow hallway are much more high security.

"Ah," Clint says, seeing several soldiers ready to take on the fugitives. "I though this might happen." Faster than anyone not a super-soldier or spy can see, he whips out an arrow and shoots the first soldier. Scott shrinks down, Sam whips out his guns, and the Avengers charge.

"Daddy!" comes a small shriek from down the hall.

"Clint?" comes the voice of a woman.

"Sam?" asks an older man.

"I'm here, Papa!" Sam responds, kicking a soldier in the jaw. "I'm here, Mama!"  
"Laura, are you guys okay?" Clint yells, running past the Wilsons to her.

"We're fine," Laura says. "But Cassie is terrified."  
"Is my brother here?" asks a young woman across the hall.

"Don't worry," Steve says, running up. "He says if anyone lays a finger on you, this entire place is dead meat." The young woman, recognized as Shuri, nods.

"More are coming!" Nat yells from down the hall. "There's too many of them!"  
"Alright," Steve says, looking around. "We can take one."  
"Cassie," Laura, Shuri, and the Wilsons all say in unison.

"Okay," Clint says, standing back. Steve slams his shield into the cell. The bars dent a little. He does it again and again until there's a small child-sized hole.

"Come on," Clint says. He makes eye contact with his wife. "The kids are fine," he says. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Laura says, smiling. "Keep her safe! I've gotten attached!"

"Daddy!" Cassie cries as her father enlarges in front of her. Scott wraps her in his arms.  
"Hey, pumpkin," he says, grinning and hugging his daughter tightly. "Did the bad men hurt you at all?"  
"Nope," she giggles, clutching her father as he stands up.

"Let's go," Steve announces.  
"We'll be back," Clint assures the others.

"I love you both," Sam says to his parents through the bars of their cell.

"Hurry," Nat calls. She takes the lead with Steve. Scott, carrying Cassie, runs down the hall and up the stairs next, while Sam and Clint shoot any soldiers that get close to them. They make it to the car only encountering a few soldiers and agents that Nat and Steve take out easily. Clint unlocks the car and they pile in, Nat speeding away as fast as possible, quickly changing the car's color and license plates like she did when they left the Bartons' farm.

"That was a close one," Steve breathes. Cassie nestles herself further into her father's lap by one window. Sam remains squished between Scott and Steve, while Clint drives and Nat takes shotgun.

"Wait a sec," Clint says. "We're forgetting someone."

"Wanda!" Nat cries.

"Nice of you to notice," Wanda drawls from the backseat. Five sets of eyes turn to hers, Cassie having fallen asleep.

"Hey, Wanda," Clint says.

"Eyes on the road," Nat says sharply.

"And Vision," Steve says, eyes widening at the fact he isn't being restrained at all, Wanda's magic or otherwise. "Wonderful."  
"I believe I will not be putting up much of a fight," Vision says cheerfully. "Wanda and I talked a bit. I see your points on the Accords, and now that I am away from Mister Stark and Secretary Ross, I believe I would like to help you as much as possible."

"Thanks, Vision," Sam says. "And- er- how's-"  
"Colonel Rhodes is doing much better," Vision says, anticipating Sam's next question. Sam lets out a breath of relief.

"Well, we're okay for now," Nat says. "If you would all shut up, I'm going to follow Cassie's lead and take a nap."


	12. Pt XII

**I am SO SORRY for the long wait! August was busy, school and sports started, and now here we are, like two months later. Again, I am SO SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! Anyways, this chapter should clear up some of the bits of the previous chapter, and sorry if anyone seems too OOC (this is my first time writing for the Avengers in a while). One more time: I AM SORRY!**

Part XII

"Why only one?" Clint hisses to Steve as they drive, furious.

"What?" Steve asks, startled.

"You said take only one. We took Cassie. We could have taken them all, why didn't we?"

"I didn't want anyone to get hurt," Steve sighs, though he has the decency to look ashamed. "If we waited longer, more guards, possibly Tony and Rhodey, would have showed up. I didn't want innocents to get hurt." Clint grunts and remains focused on the road. Steve glances around at the car. Everyone is asleep except for Wanda and Vision, who are talking quietly in the back and paying no attention to Steve and Clint.

"We could have easily taken them all down," Clint says. "If you hadn't noticed, we are the Avengers."

"Were," Steve says. "We were."

"As far as I'm concerned, we still are," Clint says. "And as far as I'm concerned, I'm a bit pissed we left when we did."

"We'll free them, Clint," Steve says, though he's reassuring himself as much as Clint. "We will."

Clint grunts again and says no more.

Steve sighs and looks out the window. Why didn't they stay? They should have stayed. Was it really because he didn't want anyone to get hurt? Or did he have more selfish motives? Was it just because he didn't want to see Tony, or rather the look on Tony's face? Steve digs deep and finds no, he really didn't want any innocents to get hurt. But he has to be sure.

Steve turns around to face Wanda.

"Wanda," he says. "I need you to look inside my mind."

Wanda is very taken aback. "Erm...why?"

"I need to know why we pulled out when he did," Steve says. "I need to know if I was selfish or not."

"You're _Captain America_ ," Wanda says. "I don't think it's possible for you to be selfish."

"Please," Steve insists. Wanda sighs and closes her eyes. Steve opens up his own mind and feels the presence of another. His memories of the day's events are called up and he witnesses them as if they were happening all over again.

" _More are coming!" Steve panicked, a million thoughts racing through his mind. People hurt, people bleeding, people dying. Because of him. Because of his call. He couldn't condemn any of them to getting hurt. But if they left some behind, they could be tortured for information. They could take it, he knew they could. There was already word spreading, rumors that the Avenger's families were being held captive. The ones they left would be safe. It was his call. Would he risk people, let alone an extremely small_ child _, get hurt? "We can take one."_

Wanda's presence retracts. She doesn't even look winded, but Steve thinks he might. "Does that answer your question?" Wanda asks. Steve nods. "I told you, you're Captain America," Wanda continues. "But you're also Steve Rogers. I don't think either one of you is capable of being selfish. It isn't in your nature." Vision nods in agreement. Wanda leans her head back and closes her eyes, but Steve doesn't think she's fallen asleep based on the small smiles on her and Vision's faces. Steve falls asleep, though, and within moments the only ones awake are Wanda and Vision, and Clint, who is driving.

 _That was very kind_ , Vision says to Wanda, communicating telepathically.

 _I try_ , Wanda responds. _You could have done better_.

 _I think you did perfect_.

Wanda nestles her head back into the seat. It takes several minutes before she falls asleep. Vision stares at Clint, trying to read his face, whether he is welcome in the car or not. He now knows better than trying to pry into people's minds. He generally isn't welcome there, nor is anyone. So he is learning to read facial expressions and body language. Clint is tense, his hands gripping the steering wheel, teeth slightly gritted, staring straight ahead, completely focused. But his eyes are soft and warm and speak welcome. Based on this, Vision deduces that Clint is tense from the mission, worried about his children and wife, but besides that is currently at ease. Perhaps he was mistaken. Perhaps they do want him here.

"Mr. Barton," Vision says quietly, so as not to wake any of the sleeping inhabitants of the car. "You are worried. What about?" Vision already knows the answer, but he wants Clint to visibly relax.

"My kids," he answers, just as Vision expected him to. "They're with Bruce, in D.C.. I don't want anyone to find them. And we just left my wife with some of the most dangerous people in the world." Clint slacks his grip on the wheel a bit, and his shoulders hunch. "And I'm worried. That I won't be able to protect them. That I never will." Clint sighs and spares a glance back at Vision. "I guess I'm a bit like Steve. I don't want anyone to get hurt. But I'm more selfish. I would put my family first, then worry about the others." Clint's eyes flit to Cassie, then back at the road.

"As is natural," Vision says. "Do not worry about it, Mr. Barton. You are a perfectly good person, in your own way."

"Thanks, Vision," Clint smirks.

"Did I say something wrong?" Vision asks, frowning, as he sees the new expression on Clint's face."

"Nah," Clint says. "You just sounded like one of those inspirational posters, the ones that have the cats on them. Strange coming from a guy that can rip robots in half."

"I can do that," Vision says. "But I believe I am quite gentle on the inside."

"Yeah, Vis," Clint says, breathing out a puff of air and relaxing a bit. Granted, he's still worried sick, but he's calmer than he's been since Laura was taken. "You sure are."

 **Again, SO SORRY for the long wait! I hope (maybe) (possibly) it was worth it? I will try to update again soon, but no promises (I will try very hard) (please forgive me).**


	13. Pt XIII

**WHOA THANKS FOR 10,000 VIEWS! I hope no one in this chapter seems too OOC, I'm still not super-used to Tony, or Peter or Bruce. Or anyone, for that matter. ANYways, read and review please, thank you so so so much for sticking with me!**

Pt XIII

"Mister Bruce?"

Bruce jumps as he feels a gentle tugging at his arm.

"What is it- er- Lila?" he asks the small girl.

"Can you read me a story?" Her big puppy-dog eyes stare up at him.

"A- a story? What for?" _No, bad Bruce, you just shut up and do what the kid says!_

"I'm scared," she says, giving a little sniffle. _No, no, no, don't start crying, kid, I can't do anything about that!_

"Don't worry," Bruce says, awkwardly crouching down and putting an arm around the little girl. "I'm sure Daddy and Mommy will come back soon." _Does she call her parents Daddy and Mommy? Or just Dad and Mom? Or Dada and Mama?_

"Not about- hic- that," Lila says with a slight hiccup. "I'm scared that they'll- hic- forget about us! Like Daddy did!"

 _Oh._

 _He didn't know she knew about Clint's brief time under Loki's brainwashing._

 _How did she know about that?_

"Don't worry, Lila, I'm sure everything will be fine," Bruce says, patting the little girl firmly but hopefully not too hard. _Where's her brother? He's probably better at this kind of thing_. As if on cue, Cooper rushes into the room.

"It'll be fine," he says soothingly. "It'll be fine." He turns to Bruce. "Mister Bruce, Nathaniel is crying and he wants you."

"M-me?" Bruce says, shocked. "What could he want me for? Are you sure he doesn't want you?"

"He keeps saying 'Green Man, Green Man,' so I'm pretty sure he wants you," Cooper says seriously. "Come on, Lila, let's watch some TV." They turn on the small television in the corner and settle down, Cooper putting an arm around his sister protectively. Lila is entranced by the show almost immediately, all thoughts of a story forgotten.

Bruce quickly walks to the other room. _Wait, did they leave the baby in there alone? What if he got into trouble?_ When Bruce arrives, Nathaniel is clutching the top of his Pack-n-Play, tears streaming down his face. They immediately stop when he sees Bruce.

"Gwee Ma!" Nathaniel burbles. Bruce's eyes widen as the baby's arms raise in a gesture that clearly says _pick me up_. He reaches out, grasps the baby under his arm, and lifts him up. Nathaniel, to his everlasting credit, goes limp to make Bruce's job easier. Bruce holds the child to his chest, one hand under his legs, the other rubbing his back soothingly. Nathaniel starts playing with some of Bruce's loose curls.

 _I think I'm getting the hang of this_ , Bruce thinks. Of course, Nathaniel gives an almighty shriek of- "Foo! Foo!" It can mean possibly one thing Bruce can think of- food. _What on Earth do babies eat? Heck, what do_ children _in general eat?_

"Cooper? Lila? What do you guys like to eat?" Bruce walks into the other room, bouncing Nathaniel up and down.

"Chocolate!" Cooper says.

"Pizza!" Lila shrieks.

"Candy!"

"Pizza!"  
"Burgers!"

"Pizza!"

"Sweet stuff!"

"Pizza!"

"Ice cream!"

"What about fruits?" Bruce asks. "Vegetable?"

"Pizza with peppers!"

It looks like Babysitter Bruce _might_ run into some trouble.

* * *

"What do you mean, _they got away_?" Ross roars, furious. The terrified agent gulps and says, as clearly as he can muster,

"They just left, sir. We didn't anticipate it. We thought they would stay for all of the hostages."

"Move them to the New Avengers Facility in upstate New York," Ross says, snapping his fingers at Tony.

"Sorry, you aren't the boss of me," Tony says. He turns to Rhodey. "Let's move the hostages to the New Avengers Facility."  
"On it," Rhodey says. Ross sighs.

"With the loss of Vision can come nothing good. Double the guard on them once they arrive. No, triple it. We can't lose our only leverage on them."

Tony nods and turns out of the room. He quickly gets into a suit. But he isn't going to the facility. He has a visit to make.

* * *

"M-Mister Stark, good to see you, can I get you-"

"Stow the crap, Parker, you know why I'm here."

"N-no, sir, I-"

"I need you to track down the fugitive Avengers."

"Th-the fugitive Avengers, sir?"

"Come on, isn't your spidey sense tingling already? You knew this was coming."

"Alright, sir, what do I tell Aunt May?"

Tony has come to the kid with a series of problems lately, and Peter knows by now that when Tony shows up, bad things will follow.

"It's a special trip. Only the brightest kids get to go. Funded by me."

"A-alright. Capture them, or report back to you?"

"Find them. Befriend them."

"Befriend them?" Peter gapes. "And then betray them?"

"No," Tony says, shaking his head quickly. "Befriend them. Tell me where they are. And then help them with whatever they need."

"Mister Stark, sir, I hope you don't mind me asking, but, why?"  
"Because," Tony lowers his voice. "I don't trust Ross. What he's doing is illegal. And I want all of us dragged into this before it ends."

"Wh-why, exactly?"  
"Because, it's in my nature. If I'm going to make a mess, it's going to be as big of a mess as possible. Now, your motto?"

Peter sighs. "With great power comes great responsibility." Tony smirks.

"Dang right. Suit up, kid, you leave tomorrow." Tony tosses some keys onto the Parkers' kitchen counter.

"I- Mister Stark, I can't drive."

Tony tosses a fake driver's license. "About time you learned, then."


	14. Pt XIV

**Hola! Thank you so much for reading! A small note: The 'Sokovian' Wanda speaks in this chapter is actually Russian that I found using Google Translate. Which is probably wrong. Please please please correct me if I'm wrong!** мой ребенок translates to 'my child'. Again, so sorry if I got it wrong! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Part XIV

Peter stares at the steering wheel of the orange BMW. He didn't even know they made orange BMWs. Steering wheel, keys, pedal, out the window. Steering wheel, keys, pedal, window.

He gets out of the car, walks to the nearest station, and buys a bus ticket. Sometimes he swears Mister Stark is crazy.

* * *

Wanda scowls. She's been doing a lot of that lately. Vision has an arm wrapped around her comfortably, and the little girl Cassie has climbed onto her lap, but she's still scowling.

Maybe it's because no matter what happens, these men will not _shut up_. Their voices are completely silent, but their minds are practically screaming, so loudly that Wanda can't block them out. Vision obviously has, because he's nearly smiling. Or he's just amused at the steady stream of information coming out in the form of their thoughts.

For Clint, it is immense worry, for his children and wife and friends and even the others held captive. For Scott, unyielding love for Cassie, and reassurances mingled with a little bit of doubt that he _can be_ an Avenger. For Steve, it's pressure, the pressure of being a leader and being afraid that he'll lead them wrong. For Sam, intense fear, fear for his parents and for Steve. For Natasha, as she drives, relief. This is the one Wanda puzzles over- why is she relieved, when there is so much to be worried about? Then it hits her (literally, these people are not good at quieting their thoughts). Cassie is safe. The child is safe. The child snuggled up against her, breathing deeply, radiating warmth and life and love. Cassie is content, and her happiness is affecting all of them, washing over their doubt, however little its effect. Cassie is safe. The Barton kids are safe. The children are safe.

Cassie stirs, looking up at Wanda, and then beams. "Hi," she says.

"Hi," Wanda whispers back, not wanting to wake the others.

"Are we gonna be home soon?" Cassie asks, lifting her arms and looking around the car.

"Soon, мой ребенок," Wanda mutters. "Soon."

* * *

"Mister Stark?" Peter whispers into the cell phone. "I think I found them." He sits in the cool shade of a large tree, staring across the street at a small coffee shop. A single van is parked outside. He taps a few buttons on the simple tracking device. Six adult heat signatures, one child's, one synthetic. It was actually quite easy, actually, all he had to do was insert a description of Vision.

"Already?" Tony asks.

"I'm not sure," Peter hisses. "But I saw a group that looked _exactly_ like Wilson, Lang, and Maximoff at a coffee shop."

"Where?"  
"Washington. D.C., I mean, I'm sorry Mister Stark but I'm probably wrong this tracking stuff is weird."

Tony mutters something illegible.  
"I- sorry, Mister Stark, what was that?"

"I said, we actually have Vision telling us where they are, but I wanted to see how that new tracking stuff works."

"What?! Then why am I here? And why haven't they been turned in already?"

Silence. Then, "Befriend them. Make them trust you. You have ten hours."

* * *

Laura stares defiantly up at the man standing before us, clearly speaking with her eyes that he does not intimidate her.

"You are being moved," Secretary Ross says.

"Where?" Mr. Wilson grunts.

"Classified," Ross answers.  
"Why?" Mrs. Wilson asks.

"How?" Shuri asks.

"Are you people trying to bother me?" Ross asks indignantly.

"My guess is yes," Tony Stark pipes up from where he stands, arms crossed, across the room. "Right? Am I right?"  
The four captives remain silent. After some time, Shuri speaks.  
"If we're being moved, why are we all standing here?"  
"We're waiting for someone," Ross answers.

"No we aren't," Tony says suddenly. "Let's get a move on." Ross starts to sputter, but composes himself and the prisoners are moved out of the room.

They're loaded into a high-security van, cramped together with Tony and several agents. They drive to a place they recognize as the New Avengers Facility. Protesters are gathered around the high chain-link fence, a recent addition, waving signs and screaming. _Free the innocents_. _You're the criminals_. _The Avengers are our heroes_. _Bring back our heroes_. Agents clear the way and the vans barrels through them all.

"Looks like some people don't think you're doing the right thing," Laura mutters to Tony, who purses his lips tightly. Shuri sits up a bitter taller when she sees a woman waving a sign.

 _Our King didn't die for this_.

"What?" Tony asks. "Why do you look so smug?"

"We will see how smug _you_ look, Tony Stark, when my brother the king sends his wrath upon you," Shuri says proudly. "Until then I will not let your crippling words hunch my shoulders."

"Spoken like a true Wakandan," Tony says as he hops out of the car. "Come say hello to your new prison!"

As the four get out, Tony winks at Laura. She shakes her head, sure it was a trick of the light. Then he flashes ten fingers at her. She shakes her head again, and then he nods and flashes ten more fingers. And winks.

"Twenty hours," he mouths. "You'll be out in less than a day." Then he disappears in the crowd of people.

 **Soo thanks for reading, and I'll (try to) update soon!**


	15. Pt XV

**Hey guys I'm back! Apologies for the odd ending and how snowballed this story has gotten...I honest-to-God just know how it's going to end but no idea how I'm going to get there. Anyways, enjoy (I hope)!**

Pt XV

"Who's she?"

After choking hugs and general chatter, that's the first thing out of Lila's mouth.

"Hi," Cassie says. "I'm Cassie."  
"Hi," Lila says. "I'm Lila."  
"My daddy is Ant Man," Cassie says.

"My daddy is Hawkeye!" Lila says. The girls' eyes widen in delight.

"Let's be best friends!" they shriek in unison. They each grab one of Cooper's hands and scurry off to the small bedroom. Clint takes Nathaniel and follows them.

"You know," Wanda says. "I think we may be a bit cramped." The apartment above the shop has two small bedrooms, a bathroom, and a combined living room and kitchen.

"Clint and his kids take the bigger bedroom, Scott and Cassie take the smaller one, Vision doesn't sleep, and we can have three people on watch and two sleeping on the couches," Nat says immediately.

"Sure you don't want to bunk with Banner?" Sam asks, raising an eyebrow. Nat scoffs at him and stalks downstairs. Wanda immediately claims a couch, Vision sitting next to her. Scott joins the kids and Clint in the other room. Steve, Sam, and Bruce are about to sit down when they hear a crash from downstairs.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" Nat's voice is loud and rough.

"I- please, I'm just a kid!" This voice sounds younger, much younger, and it's one all but Bruce remember well. The group jumps up and rushes down the small staircase. Nat is holding a boy by the collar, gun pointed at the back of his head.

"Well, well, well," Sam says. "Who do we have here?"

Clint and Scott are upstairs with the kids, and everyone else makes a half-circle downstairs around Peter Parker.

"Please don't hurt me," Peter says. "I- I- I'm here to join your side."

"Oh?" Steve says, narrowing his eyes. "And how do we trust you?"

"I could be helpful," Peter offers.

"I'm sorry," Bruce says. "But who are you?"  
"Mr. Banner, this is Peter Parker, alias Spiderman," Vision offers.

"Oh," Bruce says. "Nice to meet you. I'm the Hulk."

"Yeah," Peter says, nodding. "Yeah. Great- great to meet you." Peter looks like he's about to faint.

"Oh, give him some food or something," Steve says, sighing. "He can watch the kids."

"We can't trust him," Nat says, giving him a shake. Peter whimpers.

"He's a kid," Steve says.

"He's in league with Stark," Sam says. Steve purses his lips tightly, looking back and forth between Peter and Sam.

"We can trust him," Wanda says suddenly. No one noticed Peter suddenly tense as two minds pierced his.

"We can trust him," Vision echoes. "I believe Mr. Parker does not mean any harm." Nat lowers her gun, but holds on to his collar.

"How did you find us?" Steve asks, not demanding, curious.

"I believe it was Stark technology," Vision says, pointing to a silver device strapped to Peter's waist.

"Excellent, it probably has a tracker," Nat says, unhooking the device, throwing it on the ground, and shooting it three times. She glances at it and shoots it twice more just to be sure. Then she scoops up the pieces and disappears up the stairs. They hear a window slam open then shut.

"Welcome to Exotic Pets," Sam says, before he and Bruce turn and walk up the stairs. The others follow them, leaving Steve and Peter alone.

"Mister- Mister Stark told me to give you this," Peter says, handing Steve a note.  
"So you are in league with Stark?" Steve asks, snatching the paper.

"N-no!" Peter says. He glances around, then shakes his head. Steve unfolds the note. Scribbled on it is a single sentence, one that wouldn't mean anything to anyone else but make perfect sense to Steve: _The package is kept at the new facility, I think T'Challa paid for it_.

It dawns on Steve immediately and he scrambles for a phone. He finds one fairly quickly, and, much to Peter's amazement, punches in the private number the king of Wakanda gave him.

"T'Challa," Steve gasps. "The captives- your sister- they're at the New Avengers Facility."

"Steve?" T'Challa answers. "Are you sure?"  
"Positive," Steve says. Peter nods encouragingly.

"Fine," T'Challa says. "We will be there by dawn." Steve looks out at the darkening sky.  
"Excellent," Steve says. "Now, we need a-"

"Plan," T'Challa finishes. "I have one."

"You have one?" Steve asks.

"I am going to save my sister," T'Challa growls. "I will barter for the others if I can. But prepare yourselves; compromises will need to be made. Think upon this. Be ready at dawn." The line clicks dead. Steve lowers the phone, and then rushes up the stairs, taking them three at a time, Peter left behind, still scrambling to keep up with what was going on. By the time he makes it upstairs the rest of the Avengers are deep in conversation.

"What do we do?" Bruce asks. "Drive up there? I don't think we could exactly book a hotel room."  
"We could pray T'Challa covers it," Clint suggests. "But what kind of heroes would we be then?"

"Not very good ones," Steve says. "I'm calling Tony."

"That does not sound like a good idea," Sam says. Steve gives him a look. "But then, when do you ever listen to me when it comes to Stark?"


	16. Pt XVI

**Hello, all! I cannot express to you how sorry I am for not updating sooner. I would give you a bunch of excuses, but no one wants to read that, so to sum it up I've had a ton of drama going on, and not necessarily the good kind. But here's part sixteen, and things are heating up. So please, enjoy! And again, so sorry. Now that I've got most of my crap sorted out updates should be more regular, but no promises.**

 **Again, enjoy!**

Pt XVI

Tony jerks up. Something is buzzing against his chest. Is he having a heart attack? Being tasered?

Then he realizes it's a phone, and it's ringing.

"Hello?" he asks. "Who is this?" He already knows the answer.

"It's Steve," the voice on the other end says. "And what you've done is unforgivable. We'll get the prisoners out. Then I never want to talk to you again." The line clicks dead.

* * *

Tony jerks up to the phone ringing in his shirt pocket. But- he just did that.

 _Damn dreams_ , Tony thinks. He picks up without a second thought.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"It's the Patriot."

"The Patriot? What is the Patriot?" Tony is utterly bemused, because the voice sounds exactly like Steve's. Then he realizes, who other than Captain America would call themselves the Patriot? Steve must think the phone is somehow being tapped. Probably Natasha's idea.

"Who else would it be, Tin Man? We got your package, by the way, the spider is a great addition to the store. We aren't called Exotic Pets for nothing." _Tin Man?!_ Tony almost splutters in indignation, but contains himself.

"That's great, Patriot, that's great," Tony refines himself to saying.

"Oh, by the way, we sent you that one cat. It should be there at dawn, I know his sister is missing him. Not sure about the others, though. If you don't mind, a ride for us would be great, we'd like to be at the convention. Big Red and the spider, and the rest of us, are missing you and Garbage Can. Garbage Can was the Bird's idea, not mine." Tony's mind races; he's assuming Steve means T'Challa will be there at dawn for his sister, Big Red is Vision and the spider is Peter. Garbage Can is probably Rhodey, and the Bird is either Clint or Sam. His money is on Sam. And Steve is asking him for a ride.

"Sounds great, Patriot," Tony says. "I'll send a personal plane out myself. Should arrive around, say, three o'clock, Dulles, your time. Sound good?"

"Perfect," Steve answers. "We'll be there, all of us. Get ready for a grand old convention."  
Tony grins. "See you then, Patriot."  
"See you then, Tin Can. Oh, and by the way- if you help us out with our pest problem- I guess there could be forgiveness all around." Tony's heart soars. "And we happen to have a big green friend with us. I hope you don't mind if he tags along."  
Big green friend- big green friend-

"Bruce?!" Tony shouts, forgetting the code names. But the line has already clicked dead. Tony slams the phone back into his shirt pocket.

"FRIDAY, send one of my private planes to Dulles International Airport. Quickly. Have it come right back here, arrange for a car for the passengers to the New Avengers Facility. And if you happen to spot a certain cat, let him through."

"Of course, Mister Tin Can, sir."

"Aha! So I was being tapped!"  
"Only by me, sir, I was simply curious. Though I wouldn't put it past Secretary Ross to do something like that," came FRIDAY's cool answer.  
"Sweet. Thanks, FRIDAY."

"Anytime, sir."

Tony runs a hand through his hair and finds his actual phone. He presses in a few numbers.

"Secretary Ross? Yeah, I got a call from a certain Patriot just now…"

* * *

Steve puts his phone down and looks at the occupants of the room. Sam, Peter, Vision, Wanda, Natasha, Clint, Scott, Bruce, Cooper, Lila, Nathaniel, and Cassie stare back at him. He clears his throat.

"Pack up all the stuff," he says. "All of it. Everything for the kids in one area, everything we need in another. Bruce will drop us off at Dulles International Airport at three. Then he'll drive with the kids to New York, while we'll take the plane. We should arrive just at the same time T'Challa does."

"How do you know?" Natasha asks.

"Tony's sending a plane," Steve says. "We're going to kick some ass."  
In turn, he gets five calls of, "Language!"

* * *

Laura slams her fist against the wall, knowing it's useless. She tries again, and again, until her knuckles are bloody and the skin around them is shredded.

Mrs. Wilson looks up from her knitting. Somehow she convinced Rhodey, whom she'd met several times, to sneak her a ball of yarn and some needles. Knowing the needles could be possible weapons, she hid the yarn in her sweater and the needles in her hair if the need arose. Mr. Wilson, meanwhile, was satisfied watching his wife work. Shuri asked for chalk and is drawing on the walls, pictures rich in detail depicting Wakandan warriors and featuring, more often than not, the Black Panther.

Laura rests her head on the wall behind her stiff cot. She props her legs up on the bed and stares at Shuri, who has a look of intense concentration on her face. The girl notices after a while and pauses in her drawing.

"Yes?" she asks, not entirely unkindly.

"How can you be so calm?" Laura asks, cutting right to the chase.

"The Black Panther is a symbol, the hero of the Wakandan nation. The King takes on the mantle of the Black Panther- right now, that is my brother. But since he is also the king, the Black Panther is not always there. That is where I step in. In order to become one with the Panther, you must be immensely focused. You must keep a level-head. You must not harm more than is necessary. To have all of this, you must be calm. And I know my brother will come, and possibly your friends." Shuri cracks a grin. "Besides, this is not the most terrifying situation I have been in. Let me tell you, one time…"

Laura finds herself entranced by the girl's stories, amazed by someone so young could have so much experience.

Neither woman, nor the two Wilsons, notice when the man enters the room.

 ***gasp* Such suspense! Well, now you're probably going to have to wait a while. or maybe not...**

 **Thanks so much for reading!**


	17. Pt XVII

**Hahahahaha I suck at keeping my promises, obviously.**

 **In light of President Turnip's recent immigration ban, I am so so so sorry to all those affected by this act of blatant discrimination. If you or anyone you know is affected, you're in my prayers. I hope that as a planet we can pull through this.**

 **On a lighter note, thanks to everyone that reviewed, followed, and favorited, especially XxTheLoneWolfxX, Batman111894(3), PenelopeBarnes, and Guest.**

 **Enjoy!**

Pt XVII

Steve stares out the window, thinking of whether Tony will back out on them or not.

Sam stares at Steve, concerned for his friend, but moreso for his parents.

Wanda and Vision talk quietly.

Clint thinks of Laura. Natasha sits next to him, offering simply her presence as comfort.

Scott entertains Peter with stories of his time in prison. Peter listens, entranced.

When the plane lands they're ushered off and into two private cars quickly, all by workers wearing Stark's logo. Steve, Sam, Clint, and Natasha are in one car with an extremely nervous looking man. Wanda, Vision, Scott, and Peter are guided to the other car Scott is allowed to drive directly behind Steve's car, possibly because the drivers are too scared to drive Wanda and Vision.

The drive to the New Avengers Facility is eerily silent in both cars. Even Scott, who's normally so lively, is quiet. The man driving the first car pulls over some ways away from the Facility.

"What are we doing?" Steve asks.

"Get out," the driver says. "Quickly."

"Not until you tell us what's going on," Clint snarls.

"Please," the man says, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He pales as he's faced by the four superheroes.

"Out of the car," Natasha says. The driver sighs and looks at her gratefully. The four get out of the car to see the occupants of the second car already standing outside, looking confused.

"Psst."

Eight heads jerk towards the woods surrounding them.

"In here."

Sam approaches cautiously, thinking he recognizes the voice. There's the crackle of a twig being snapped, and then Rhodey emerges from the woods. Sam freezes, his foot poised mid-air.

"Rhodes?" Steve is the first one to speak.

"Um," Rhodey says. "Hi."

"Garbage Can," Sam says, pulling Rhodey into a slightly awkward one-armed hug. Rhodey grins a bit at being accepted so easily.

"What is the meaning of this, Mister Rhodes?" Vision asks.

"Tony has a plan," Rhodey answers after greeting each of them. "You can go, Quinn."

The driver, waiting hesitantly by the car he was driving, gets in and takes off in the direction leading away from the Facility.

"Alright," Rhodey says. He explains the plan quietly. Wanda and Vision take off into the woods. The others suit up. Scott shrinks himself down and perches on Rhodey's shoulder. Steve climbs into the passenger's front seat, his hands handcuffed. He could easily snap the chain if the need arises. Clint, Natasha, and Sam climb into the trunk, stuffing themselves down. Peter stretches out across the backseat, mask covering his face.

A man greets them as the car drives up to the Facility. Rhodey pulls a pair of sunglasses up so the man can see his face and rolls down the window.

"Hey," Rhodey says.

"I'm not supposed to let anyone in," the man says.

"Dude," Rhodey says. "Jakobi. It's me. Rhodes. I _live_ here."

"Oh," Jakobi says. "Who's he?" He nods towards Steve.

"Do you _seriously_ not recognize Captain _freaking_ America?" Rhodey says.  
"Why is he here?" Jakobi asks. "Isn't he a criminal?" Steve grunts.

"I got him. We have Secretary Ross's approval to bring him in," Rhodey says, sighing.

"I gotta check the back.

Rhodey rolls his eyes, but rolls down the back window, revealing Peter.

"Oh," Peter says. "Hey."

Jakobi stares, dumbfounded.

"I'll just keep driving, then," Rhodey says, rolling the windows back up and pulling his sunglasses down. Jakobi presses a button and Rhodey continues to drive towards the Facility.

"Tony, I told you I was parking here today," Rhodey mutters, pressing down on the brakes.

"Tough luck, man," Scott says.

"Shut up."

Rhodey pulls the car around Tony's. He, Peter, and Steve get out. Scott dives into the pocket on the front of Rhodey's shirt. Rhodey cracks the trunk open. Thankfully it appears to still be closed.

Rhodey strolls towards where the prisoners are being kept, Steve trailing behind him. Just as he's about to open the door, someone speaks up from behind him.

"Where are you going with Rogers, Mr. Rhodes?"

* * *

"Shuri!"

The young woman stands as the man steps into the light.

"T'Challa!" she cries, her voice hushed. She rushes to the door of her cell. T'Challa steps into the light and takes off his helmet. His vibranium suit slams against the door, bursting it open. Shuri throws herself into her brother's arms. "I knew you'd come," she says as she pulls away. "What took you so long?"

"There were many inconveniences along the way," T'Challa answers. He turns to the other three prisoners. "Do not think I had forgotten you."

Laura stands up. The Wilsons move closer. Mrs. Wilson drops her needles.

"Clint?"

 **Thanks for reading, I can't guarantee any updates soon, but hopefully.**


	18. Pt XVIII

**Obviously, I'm not even going to try and keep my updating promises anymore. If anyone is still reading this, I am incredibly sorry. I already have the next chapter in the works, so fingers crossed for next week. Thank you all for your patience, and please enjoy. Apologies if they seem too OOC, it's been a while. So much thanks to everyone still reading, including XxTheLoneWoldxX and their amazing advice (quality over quantity) (I'm not sure I have either) and Batman111893 for their advice, as well as Annabel Lee (I just read Lady Midnight and have much respect for your screen name), DarylDixon'sLover (thank you for always reviewing!), and Guest. So...thanks guys!**

Pt XVIII

"Laura!"

Clint is there, at the door to her cell, his hands pressing against it. Laura steps back as T'Challa slams first her door, then the door to the Wilsons' cell open. Sam goes straight to his parents, the Wilsons embracing their son. Natasha stands back, keeping guard and letting the families have their moments. Clint frantically presses his lips against his wife's, then backs away checking for any injuries.

"The kids?" Laura asks, not concerned about anything else.

"They're fine," Clint says, holding her against him. "They're with Bruce. They're safe."

"Bruce?" Laura asks. Now that she's finally free, it seems that she can't do anything but ask questions.

"Long story," Clint says. "Come on, we're getting you out of here." The group turns back to the door, but another man stands in their way.

"Not so fast."

* * *

Rhodey freezes and turns slowly, taking Steve with him. "Tony, thank God- I thought you were Ross."

"You thought wrong. Hey, Patriot," Tony says casually, as if Steve hasn't been on the run for months. On the run from him. As if he didn't take the innocent families of the other Avengers captive. As if they are friends.

"Hey, Tin Can," Steve says, clearing his throat. He keeps his expression guarded, and for once Tony is at a loss for words.

"Good to see you in person," Tony says eventually. Rhodey backs away, expecting drama. Scott pokes his head out of Rhodey's pocket, hoping for it. Peter, on the other hand, acts like the slightly oblivious teenager he is and interrupts their moment.

"Uh- Mister Captain America- Mister Rogers- Mister- oh, screw it. Tony talked about you every day. It was starting to get annoying," Peter blurts out, burying his head in his hands. "Please forgive him or we'll never hear the end of it."

"I did not talk about him every day!" Tony says indignantly.

"Yes, you did," Rhodey groans.

Tony turns to Steve. "Look, man, I was doing what had to be done. At first, it was because I was angry at you, for up and leaving after the fight. Then it was because Ross was hinting that Pepper- that Pepper would be in the same position as your families, and May, and Rhodey's family, and I couldn't do that to them. So I guess it was out of revenge, and also fear, and I'm really sorry about the whole Accords thing because that was just plain stupid of me, and I am an egotistical idiot in a suit who has no idea what he's doing," Tony finishes. "So… can you forgive me?"

"I suppose, Tony," Steve says with a sigh. "But just this once. I'm sorry, too- I guess we were both kind of idiots there." He snaps the ropes containing his hands easily. "Come on, let's go rescue our friends." Tony grins. Steve holds out his hand. Tony shakes it, and Steve hands Tony the ropes.

"I don't like being handed things," Tony says, stepping away quickly.

"I know," Steve says, turning away. "Consider it a small form of revenge." Tony nearly groans.

The five men (Scott having jumped out of Rhodey's pocket and resuming normal size) make their way to the holding cells. They grin when they see their friends inside.

"Come on, we're getting you out of here," Clint is saying. Tony leans against the doorframe.

"Not so fast," he says casually.

The room freezes and looks up at him. Those in on the plan relax when they see him. Laura shrinks back, though her stare is defiant. The Wilsons look as if they want to punch something. Shuri tenses and raises her fists, T'Challa standing in front of her protectively.

"Relax, kitty, I'm on your side now," Tony says. "Hey, guys. We have one stop to make before we go. Or, you know, stay, depending on how it goes."

* * *

"Now?" Wanda asks, staring into the window of the office that does not belong to the man standing in it. She is uncertain, raising her hands, ready to smash in through the window.

"Not yet," Vision replies, a slight smile playing across his lips.


	19. Pt XIX

Wow, an update within two weeks. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited.

XxTheLoneWolfxX- It's alright, I'm glad you still check and are enjoying this! Haha, teenagers am I right? (Lol I am a teenager)  
Qweb- Yes, and thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy it!

Avengerstimpy- I'm so glad you're enjoying!

DarylDixon'sLover- Thank you!

Here we go- please enjoy!

Pt XIX

"Secretary Ross," Tony says, inclining his head.

"Mister Stark," Ross says, doing the same. "What brings you here today?"  
"Well, it is my office," Tony says snarkily.

"Yes, that it is." Ross stands so he's level with Tony. "I was looking over security footage, Mister Stark," Ross continues. "It appears that Colonel Rhodes has caught us a certain Patriot. Was he where he said he would be?"

Tony glances around nervously. This is where it could all go wrong. He relaxes when he remembers that nothing can get through their back-up. "Yes, exactly. We can bring him in now, if you like." It isn't a question. Ross doesn't have a choice, and Tony makes this clear in his voice.

"That would be excellent," Ross says, clearing his throat. "Very well, send him in."

There's nothing for several moments. Tony raps on the door. Nothing. He peeks his head out to see everyone there, waiting, including the hostages. He nods to T'Challa, who steps forward and enters the office after Tony. The Iron Man gestures for Steve to stay put for now.

"Secretary Ross," T'Challa says.

"King T'Challa," Ross says, slightly stunned as to how he got into the building without showing up on the security feeds. Tony is a bit stunned about this as well, knowing it could have thrown the whole plan awry, though now it seems to have only added to the effect on Ross. "What brings you here today?"

"You kidnapped my sister, Secretary," T'Challa says. "You held her for ransom. She is royalty. This is an act of war on my country." Ross goes stark white. "Wakanda, however, will prefer to stay out of this conflict. Instead we have chosen to punish you and save the millions of innocent lives."

Tony smiles inwardly. Of course. T'Challa was part of this plan all along.

"We have clearance from the United States government to go ahead with this plan," Tony says. "They'll be here shortly."

"I am the United States government," Ross says, glaring.

"Not anymore," Tony continues. "Searching premises without a warrant violates the Constitution, Secretary."

"As does unlawfully taking _captives_ ," T'Challa says. "You kidnapped several people, one of which a child, and attempted to take captive several more children among others. I am sure that this, too, violates your government."

"FRIDAY kept the security feeds," Tony says. "We have clips of you ordering them to be put in the cells."

"I thought you were on my side," Ross says, focusing his anger on Tony.

"I'm on the side that'll do the most good," Tony says. "And that certainly isn't yours." He waves a hand. The rest of the Avengers marches into the room- Steve, Clint, Natasha, Sam, Rhodey, and Scott. Clint keeps an arm wrapped around Laura, Shuri goes to stand by T'Challa, and Sam's parents remain close behind him. Peter hovers by the door, unsure if he's supposed to be there.

"Captain," Ross says calculatingly to Steve. "Colonel." This is directed towards Rhodey. He regards the rest of the team cautiously.

"Sir," FRIDAY pipes up. "The children and Mr. Banner are flying in to New York City. They'll be here shortly."

"Banner?" Ross asks, perking up.

"Don't even think about it," Steve says coldly. "You're done. How does it feel to be a criminal, Mister Ross?"

"How does it feel to still be one, Captain?" Ross counters.

"Yeah, we can fix that," Tony says. "I've been speaking with high-ranking government officials- we're currently working on proving that Barnes is innocent and granting amnesty to all of the fugitive Avengers." Well, he hasn't been speaking with them. But he will be- eventually. Repairing the team one step at a time.

"I'm the Secretary of State," Ross says. "There's no way you- a common civilian- can have me arrested." There's contempt on his tongue, like there's no way that that could ever happen.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure the FBI can," Tony says. "Or whoever else is coming to arrest you."

Ross snarls, but he knows he's defeated. "Sorry, Ross," Tony says. "But you only brought this on yourself."

Someone pipes up from by the doorway. "Um- Mister Stark?" he asks. Tony nods for him to continue. "Ah, can I go now? Only, I have class soon…"

"Yeah, go," Tony says, signalling him away.

"Thanks, Mister Stark," Peter says, nodding and taking off. Ross raises an eyebrow.

Suddenly, the windows shatter. Glass falls, and the people skitter away from the windows. Wanda and Vision swoop inside, already ready to strike. They stand down when they realize Ross is (more or less) cooperating.

"Come on, Stark," Wanda snarls. "We just wasted a perfectly good entrance."


	20. Pt XX

**May I just say thank you so, so much for getting me to 100 reviews and 20,000 views before the last chapter! I'm screaming inside! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter- Batman11893, your suggestion is near the end! Also thanks to Black' Victor Cachat, Daryl Dixon's Lover, and Guest. An epilogue will be posted probably sometime soon, as well as the sequel because I have no life. See the end A/N. Thank you, everyone, for reading!**

Pt XX

Wanda and Vision stay to keep a close eye on Ross, while the others head down to greet whoever shows up to arrest him. Several CIA agents enter the building carelessly, Tony having informed them that Ross was already subdued.

They freeze when they see Captain America waiting to greet them. Several raise guns, ready to attack. Tony had not informed them that there would be several other criminals in the building. One of the agents raises a hand, and Steve recognizes Sharon Carter.

"Stand down, guys," Sharon says loudly. "We're here for Ross. I'm sure the Avengers are the ones that helped apprehend him." She winks at Steve, who nods in return. The rest of the Avengers joins Steve as the agents make their way to Tony's office. Tony remains with Wanda and Vision.

"We did good, guys," Steve says, turning to his team. T'Challa and Shuri have taken off, back to Wakanda, however it was T'Challa had gotten there. Sam is standing with his parents, and Clint has an arm around Laura. The others are grinning, except Natasha, who looks worried.

"I'm going to take the car, pick up Bruce and the kids," Natasha says quickly.

"We'll come with you," Laura says.

"So will I," Scott echoes.

"We can get a car, take you back to D.C.," Rhodey says to Mrs. and Mr. Wilson.

"That would be excellent, thank you, Colonel," Mr. Wilson replies curtly. The people going places leave, Steve calling after the Avengers to come back shortly so they can discuss next steps. This leaves just Steve, waiting for Tony to come back with Vision and Wanda. In the thirty minutes it takes, Steve has time to jot down in his head next steps for the Avengers, and for healing. He also has time to think about the fact that he's still a criminal, and it's still likely that he'll be arrested today, too.

The agents come down, Ross with them. Steve is disappointed to see that he isn't in handcuffs, though several agents surround him. Sharon once again winks to Steve, who once again nods. Tony follows them and goes to standby Steve. The two watch from a door as Ross is loaded into a black van.

"The trial's in a few months," Tony says. "Searching premises without a warrant, breaking and entering, kidnapping and assault. No charges against the hostages who injured government workers because they were, you know, being taken hostage. Wanda and Vision went on a date," he adds, in case Steve was wondering. There's a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"And us?" Steve asks. "I notice those CIA agents didn't arrest me."

"Trust me, they wanted to," Tony says. He clears his throat. "I made a call to some very important people who've realized you haven't done anything. They're talking about pressing charges on Ross for what happened at the Raft- unlawful imprisonment. The only thing you've done, Rogers, is help break innocent people out of jail."

"Bucky?" Steve asks the question that's been on his mind since the whole thing started.

"Yeah, about that… I'm working on it. Once you're cleared, you can, too. I don't even know where he is, or anything." Tony throws this last statement out there, as if it doesn't matter. Steve knows it does.

The two stare out of the doors and watch as the van drives away. "Bail?" Steve asks.

"I'm not sure," Tony admits. "Got tired of listening. Told them to hurry up and get out of my office."

"Real subtle there, Stark," Steve says. "And the Accords? You still signed, didn't you? What about that kid- Spider Boy? He didn't sign, did he?"

"Spiderman," Tony corrects automatically. "He didn't want his identity revealed so I guess not. We can make revisions. Revisions are drastically needed. Besides, they've probably figured out whether we sign or not we're going to keep trying to save the world."

Both men fall into a comfortable silence, until Tony asks a question.

"What about us?" he asks. "Our relationship." Steve raises an eyebrow. "You know what I mean, Patriot. The Avengers. Our future- or what's left of it."

"All wars have consequences, Tony," Steve says. "We should know that better than anyone."

Tony makes a noise of agreement in the back of his throat. Steve adds another statement quickly before he loses Tony's attention.

"But all wars end in healing, too."

 **Like I said, expect an epilogue sometime soon. The sequel will be titled All Wars End In Healing, and will cover some unclosed topics like revisions to the Accords and the fate of the Avengers... I was trying to stick to canon at the beginning of this but now it's all kind of spiraled. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read, review, follow, and / or favorite!**


	21. Pt XXI

**All Wars End In Healing will be posted in about five minutes. It'll be the prologue, the same as this chapter, to give a bit of exposition for anyone who hasn't read this one. Thank you, thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through all of this.**

Pt XXI- Epilogue

"Bruce took off."

Tony glances up to see Natasha. "What?" he asks, not having heard her. He glances back down to the appeal he's writing to turn the fugitive Avengers back to just the Avengers.

"Bruce took off," Natasha says, louder this time. "I don't know where he went, but he's gone." Tony is disappointed- though it'll make his case easier if they don't have the Hulk, possibly their greatest liability, to contend with.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tony says.

"The Bartons are back to their farm. Scott's doing his thing with his friends and family. Sam's back home, Rhodey's back home, I don't know where Spiderling is, and Wanda and Vision have been on their date for three weeks now. We're dropping like flies, Stark, and our names still aren't cleared."

"Your name was never on the table," Tony says.

"I haven't seen Steve in four days, Tony," Natasha says, the use of his first name showing how important this is to her.

"I'm working on it," he says eventually. "As soon as I get this sent in the UN is bound to clear your names. You never did anything wrong."

That's what he's been telling himself for days now.

* * *

They get the letter four days later.

Tony reads it seven times, just to be sure.

(He makes it eight, just in case.)

Then he has FRIDAY read it out loud to him, and makes sure she's seeing/hearing the same thing.

Wanda and Vision are called back from their vacation, Sam and Rhodey from D.C.. Scott drives to the New Avengers Facility and Clint is put on video call. Natasha and Steve join Tony in the same room the Accords were first read to them. Tony stands at the head of the table, the others sitting around it. The computer with Clint's face is at the opposite end. The letter is on the table in front of Tony.

"In summary," Tony says, clearing his throat. "Steven Rogers, Samuel Wilson, Clint Barton, Scott Lang, and Wanda Maximoff are officially cleared of all charges to their names. Though no criminal charges were pressed against them, Natasha Romanoff, James Rhodes, Anthony Stark, and the Vision are cleared of all charges as well."

Tony looks up, for once smiling. "We're no longer fugitives, guys!"

The rest of the team beams.


End file.
